Complaintsfor317 Home LLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired 317Home (owner *******************) to paint our kitchen cabinets in May 2021. We hired her because she told us that her exclusive paint product did not require sanding our cabinets to prep. She also indicated that her product would look professional, and that it would not chip, crack or peel. I specifically asked if it would wear well in a high traffic kitchen area, as we wanted to paint our kitchen cabinets . She assured us that it would wear great in a kitchen, not chip or peel, and that shes even used the paint on high traffic floor areas. Her original quote was $1200 but we ended up paying significantly more because it took her much longer to paint. 9 months later, the paint on our cabinets is peeling, cracking and chipping. An area on a drawer completely flaked off. So clearly the paint is not adhering to the cabinets as she promised. We went to her shop (after she refused to respond to our numerous text messages and phone calls), gave her pictures of the doors and drawers with issues, and she told my husband that she refuses to remedy the cabinet door paint issues. We told her that she clearly doesnt stand by her product or her painting quality. She said that she does, but doesnt know what youve done to the cabinets. We told her we have done absolutely nothing, and that the issue is with either the paint, or the quality of the paint job. My husband then said that if she refuses to remedy the paint issues, were going to have to have our cabinets re-finished and that we would like at least 1/2 our money back (which would be $950) to use towards hiring another company. She refused to return any portion of the money we paid, refused to remedy the paint issues on the cabinet doors, and then when my husband said well we will have to see what our next steps are, she threatened him by saying well just so you know, my husband is a lawyer. This person has been so completely rude and unprofessional & I have plenty of pics to prove it.

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  Hello!  

  My name is ***** Null, and I'm the owner of 317Home.  Last Spring, I received a call from *****.  She told me a friend of hers referred me to her and she wanted to have her kitchen cabinets painted.  She told me she wanted to help me, to learn how to chalk paint, and also to reduce the amount of time/money in finishing the project.  I have painted professionally for 5 years, and have painted with ********************* Chalk Paint for over 20 years.  I told her my fee is an hourly rate of $60, an on site fee of $40, and also for the materials used.  I quoted approximately $1,200 for the project.  Shortly after I arrived, ***** told me she wanted the interior cabinet doors painted as well.  This is common in painting jobs, clients will ask for additional pieces painted while I'm working for them, it just adds to the quote.  ***** had dark cabinets, so we painted a light coat of ******* Grey, to block the dark, then painted the cabinets Pure and then finally used ********************* Clear Gloss lacquer.  The project took longer than the initial timeframe quote, because of the additional that were requested.  ***** painted with me for 3 days, then I finished the remaining job alone.  Once the job was completed, ***** and I reviewed the kitchen, and I began adding the ****.  ***** became very ***et once I reached $1,600, and was noticeably stressed with an upcoming weekend graduation party, so I stopped at $1,600.  The environment was stressful in general and I wanted to leave.  I did, however, leave 1/2 can of Pure and 1/2 can of Clear Gloss with her, since she had purchased it.  She said she would use it for touch *** if needed.  She thanked me and I left.  A couple of days later, I received a terse text that I had not painted the underside of a cabinet white, and she could see it from the living room.  We both missed it, honest mistake.  ******* Grey is a very light grey hue.  I didn't think she would want me to come back, another site fee and pay me to finish, when she had the paint with her.  I suggested that she could take a quick swipe with Pure and it would be finished.  This set her off.  The next handful of texts were aggressive and inaccurate.  At times I responded, because my concern was that she would take my silence as her being correct.  That didn't work, it only made her more aggressive.  I told her I would come back and touch up her kitchen, top to bottom.  When I arrived, most of the paint and lacquer had been used!  I carefully examined each door/cabinet in the kitchen, touched up everything, then told her I was finished.  ***** hopped of the phone, to take a look.  She thanked me, told me it looked good, hugged me, and then apologized for tone, indicating she had been stressed over prepping for her party.  Once I saw that we were finished, I walked to my car and blocked her.  I knew that she would call me again, toss insults, and I would be back at her house over and over and over again.  

  Fast forward to February.  ***** called me from another phone and told me that she wanted me to contact her, that her cabinets were cracking and peeling.  I have NEVER seen this happen before.   I called her and she wanted to FaceTime me.  Instead, I asked for pictures.  Between May and February, she told me she went to my previous studio and bought more paint.  She continues to add paint.  I shared her pictures of the drawer that had bubbled, and the cabinet doors with fellow stockists.  The overwhelming response from the most senior stockists was that it was apparent that she didn't turn on a humidifier in her home, and they also asked where the drawer was located.  I texted ***** about the drawer's location, and it was between the fridge and sink.  She also told me she ran her finger across the bubble, so it tore.  She is not being honest or accurate with you.  I asked ***** to bring in a door and the drawer in question to my studio, and she brought in the drawer.  I told her I would sand down the drawer, since I had a palm sander at the studio, but I would not go to her house and touch the cabinet doors, since it looked like she had not used a humidifier.  She told me she has a humidifier built into their heat/air system, due to allergies.  ***** has gotten my name wrong, many bits of information wrong, and even the price of the job wrong.  I didn't believe her and was not going to go back into her house again to fix something that looked very nice when I left.  

  ******* husband came to my studio two days ago to speak to me.  One of his questions was, "Did you TELL ***** to use a humidifier?"  I told him it is common sense to use one in the winter.  I was not going to play a "gotcha game" with him.  I did mention that my husband is a lawyer.  I mentioned it, because ***** and I didn't have a contract.  That part of the complaint was inaccurate as well.  Since we did not have a contract, we had a Gentlemen's Agreement.  Actually, my husband was telling me, "You should always have a contract, that way there are no surprises."  I shared that with ****, ******* husband.  I was never threatening him with my husband's profession.  

  I told ***** that between May of 2021 and February of 2022, I didn't know what they have done at their home, concerning their kitchen, because I don't know.  Do they use a humidifier in the winter?  I have never seen a kitchen drawer peel in the manner that theirs peeled.  

  I now have contracts with all of my clients.  I have painted hundreds of pieces of furniture and to date ***** is the only client that has been dissatisfied.  I do not trust *****.

   

  Customer response

  02/23/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.   

  Beckys response does not address the issue of the paint product she used not adhering properly to my cabinets. That is the subject of my complaint. Not the price of the job, and not the fact that she left my house saying the job was originally completed, when in fact, the job was not.  It just wasnt the underside of one cabinet not painted. Since she brought it up, there were several areas not completely painted OR lawyered. The issue here is that she promised that the paint would wear well and not chip, etc. I have not been aggressive in any of my contacts. I have been direct as she seems to have over-promised and grossly under delivered - not just in her application of the paint, but in the performance of the paint itself.  It has only been nine months since the cabinets were painted, we do have a humidifier running, and have not applied anything to the cabinets. Over the past few months I had put a spot of paint here and there to touch up small chips but the number and size of the chips and cracks have grown, hence my call to *****.  ***** is the one being dishonest here. Who doesnt try to help remediate an issue with a a job theyve completed? The only thing she offered was wax to cover the peeling paint. And Ive been informed by her poem stockists that wax cannot be applied over lacquer.  I was polite in all of my contacts with her about the issue and instead of being willing to find a solution, she trys to blame us, our house, the humidity, or whatever in an attempt to not address the issue. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  
  

  Business response

  02/24/2022

  It is no shock that my response was not enough for this consumer, it will never be good enough for *****.  I am not interested in dealing with her any more.  I have dozens, maybe hundreds of highly satisfied customers. I have never encountered anyone like *****.  

  - *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩